Like most of my estate planning colleagues, I retain the originals of my clients’ wills (encompassing wills and other estate planning documents, such as powers of attorney) as a matter of course in my “vault.” In addition to wills I’ve prepared, I’ve also inherited those prepared by my retired or deceased partners.

This practice may have started when will drafting was a “loss leader” — with lawyers charging nominal fees for the will in the hope of getting the more lucrative estate administration work. Given the...